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Published: January 5th 2007
Eiffel Tower at Sunset
This picture was taken from our Seine cruise. It was freezing cold, but still romantic!!This was officially my third time to Paris, unofficially my fourth. My first time was before I could remember at two years old, so therefore, I do not count it. I must say that this was above and beyond my previous two trips. After my two visits last year, I left having written Paris off as "not that great". This was very disappointing to me as I had eagerly waited twenty years since my trip when I was two to return. So why this time, what made it different? First off I believe living in Toulouse for a month beforehand amply prepared me, meaning I was already in a "French" state of mind, already having been saturated in it for a month. I was also more confident in my French than before. The number of tourists was at least trimmed down by three quarters, especially American tourists. This left the city in a peaceful, serene Christmas spirit which was a pleasant contrast to the touristic zoo which we encountered last time. Or maybe it was better simply because I wasn't backpacking, I was able to relax, pack heavily, dress better and not have the mindset that I have to see everything
Pantheon
The Pantheon was two blocks from our hotel. We didnt go inside, the crypt was temporarily closed. Inside lays the remains one of my favorites Voltaire! in two days. Whatever it was, Paris has now been transformed in my mind, and my vacation was beyond words. I finally found the Paris I had been hoping for all along.
The first and best surprise of this trip was how much I adored our hotel. While we don't have a backpackers budget anymore, we were still trying to be thrifty. I was so impressed with what we got for our money. I spent hours on the internet trying to find the perfect hotel at a reasonable price, and my decision on the St.Jacques definitely paid off. It was lavishly decorated, charming, and quaint. One of my favorite movies of all time, Charade, was actually even filmed here. The Latin Quarter was a great part of the city to stay in, more upbeat and hip than our stay in Montparnasse last time. One of my favorite things we did on this trip was going to the Jardin de Luxembourg which was a nice walk from the hotel. We went here on more than one occasion, one time stopping to buy a yummy pear tart, which I ate while basking in the teeny amount of sun we found at
the Jardin. It was always very quiet, peaceful and relaxing. A little oasis in the midst of all the hustle and bustle of the big city. I was finally able to go to Versailles this trip. I was even more excited because I had been reading Marie Antoinette; The Journey, and had read so much about the palace, its inhabitants, and all of the functions, drama, and emotions that ran through it at one period of time. It was a bit innerving that we were sandwiched between several large tour groups, but nevertheless still worth it. At one point I was standing at the foot of the Queen's bed taking it all in and a Spanish tour guide actually pushed me with her hip and said "excuse me", in order to get me out of the way. I refused to move so she proceeded to stand directly in front of me so I could no longer see anything. C'est la vie! Other highlights of our trip included; the Seine river cruise, the Musee D'Orsay, Very wonderful meals, the Shakespeare & Co. bookstore, fondue at a Greek restaurant, and several walks past Notre Dame which every time took my breath away.
On our last day I even got to walk by a former house of the Cardinal De Rohan, which was very exciting to me. So much history in one city! This is something we hardly get to encounter in Denver.
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